Brux - the contradictorily called "domesticated wild ale" - seems like it's been spared the human touch; this flat and murky beer doesn't look the least bit polished, almost as if it escaped quality control altogether. It resembles peach nectar in colour and complexion (and carbonation).

Just as it looked thick and pulpy as a fruit nectar, so too does it smell like one; the aroma bursts forth with a budding fruitiness, like a peach, pear, and apple orchard in full blossom. It's a reminder that yeast is truly one of the world's most magical members of the kingdom Fungi, capable of producing such intricate and nuanced aromas that are simultaneously sweet and sour.

Despite the brewery's (breweries?) claim that this would "progress in the bottle for many years" it doesn't seem to have changed much in the year and a half since its release. Those that complained of it lacking in sourness and funkiness will be disappointed to find it's changed little in those departments. It has some vinegar- and cider-like tang, but is nothing more than lightly tart.

That's not to say that it doesn't have some very redeeming (and somewhat reminiscent of Gueuze) flavours that include green apple, apricots and other orchard fruits, cereal grains, vanilla accented oak, citrus peel, and soft Oriental spicing (lemongrass, coriander and white pepper). It may not live up at all to the 'wild ale' hype but it's still a pretty tasty offering.

There's some 'barnyard', 'goaty', and 'horsey' elements to Brux but they are very minor, hardly enough to consider this beer anything more than a standard Belgian blonde that's been refermented with some Brett (which, in fairness, is all it claims to be). Still, given the brand-name power of its producers - to say nothing of the hefty price tag - I expected a little more.

The beer pours a beautiful golden orange with a huge head of large, pebble-like bubbles. The head settles to a half-finger’s width height above the beer and then slowly fizzles away with mediocre retention. In body, the beer is opaque and murky, yet gorgeously bright in color with lots of lively carbonation bubbles running through the glass. On the nose, the beer has a grassy barnyard funk. It is not an overpowering funk, but is gentle and complex. Hay, soft cherry, prickly horse blanket, and fruit leather tickle over the nostrils. On the tongue, the beer tastes initially lightly tart with acidity and a funky sweetness. This dries into the finish with a touch of salinity and grassy bitters. In flavor, this beer shows many similarities to a nice gueuze, which I like, but it loses that on the finish. Bright lime and lemon peel flavors blend with subtle cherry, barnyard funk, and a touch of metallic copper. The middle of the sip develops an odd meatiness, while the finish places a splash of pineapple, slight earthy salt, and must alongside grassy bitters. In the mouth, the beer feels on the light side of medium in body with a fierce and fizzy carbonation and a crisp, snappy, and slightly slimy mouthfeel. The tongue is left tingly with acidity and the cheeks fill up with spittle, yet the mouth as a whole feels dry. Overall, this is a nice funky beer, though I wish I had aged it for a couple more months. The nose is superbly funky, almost like a well-crafted gueuze but the flavor doesn’t quite stand up. The meatiness develops more and more as the beer warms, which is too bad, and the funky flavors aren’t quite there yet. This beer is good, and has some awesome parts but doesn’t quite add up as a whole yet. A good beer, but if you have a bottle, age it longer.

Appearance: Pours a dark orange color with 4 fingers of an off white rocky head. Body is relatively clear with only a slight haze. Insane amounts of visible carbonation streaming throughout the the glass.

Almost no head and what was present quickly faded to a thin white rim and then almost nothing. Slightly cloudy burnt orange appearance.

The nose reminds me of a homemade dandelion wine that my grandfather would get from one of his patients back in the day. Smell makes me think that this is going to be pretty funky.

First taste is a bit disappointing compared to the nose. It isn't the funky beast that I was hoping for but it isn't bad. It's actually pretty mild and balanced with dried apricot notes blending with a Belgian style yeast.

Finish is mildly dry. Not as dry as expected after reading the bottle.

Perfect beer with this sharp cheddar cheese. Overall it was a bit disappointing but not a bad beer.

T: Slightly tart and fruity up front: so much pear with subtle lemon and apple; it then dries up a bit leaving some musty grassy grains, funky but not as much as the aromas indicated--this did cellar for 6 months but I bet more time would allow this to funk out a bit more

F: The effervescent carbonation followed by a yeasty creaminess works well for this beer

O: I love funky, musty, cheesy beers and this one is delicious; I have had much better beers from both of these breweries but this one does a nice job and ends up being a decent collaborative effort

O: Not exactly what I'd call an American wild ale, but then again that term, like American strong ale, tells you next to nothing about the beer type. Overall, it tastes like a slightly tart saison. It's quite good, and I'd definitely recommend it.